The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to firearms, and more particularly, to a magazine of increased capacity for a firearm, such as a shotgun, which may be attached as part of the manufacture of the weapon or may be used to replace the existing magazine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shotguns normally have a tubular magazine which is attached to the weapon just below the barrel. Such magazines usually have a capacity of three to five shotgun shells. For semiautomatic slide action or pump firearms used in law enforcement situations, three to five shots will not suffice.
Various mechanisms have been devised to facilitate rapid loading of firearms, such as revolvers and the like. For example, devices shown as speed loaders are used with revolvers, such as six shot revolvers, with the loader releasably retaining six bullets in the same radial orientation as the handgun for which used. Upon emptying the shells from the cylinder of the revolver, with the loader, six bullets may be simultaneously inserted into the cylinder for rapid loading.
Other shell magazines have been developed for rifles and handguns. Two such early devices for providing the user with a pre-oriented plurality of bullets for rapid loading are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 201,855, entitled "Charging Magazine for a Revolver", which issued to White on Mar. 26, 1878, and U.S. Pat. No. 202,613, entitled "Charging Magazines and Holster for Revolver" issued to the same inventor on Apr. 16, 1878. Both device show a plurality of tubes oriented the same as the orientation of the chambers of the cylinder of the revolver, with each tube holding a plurality of bullets, with all tubes simultaneously dispensing one bullet at a time.
Another such magazine is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 586,209, entitled "Temporary Cartridge Holder", issued to Travis on July 13, 1897.
A tubular cartridge magazine for holding a plurality of cartridges for dispensing one at a time is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 871,355, entitled "Rifle Loader", which patent issued to Morlan on Nov. 19, 1907. Other such devices utilizing, at least in part, tubes for retaining cartridges therein, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,573,003, entitled "Cartridge Dispenser", which issued to Fraley on Oct. 31, 1951, and 3,757,449, entitled "Device for Loading Shells", which issued to Schindler on Sept. 11, 1973.
The above concept has even been applied to power tools, such as the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,723, entitled "Cartridge Magazine for Power Tools", which issued to Erixon on May 7, 1974, the patent disclosing a device in which a magazine having one or more tubes is mounted adjacent the cartridge chamber. After loading one cartridge into the chamber, the tube is pivoted or moved out of the way to enable firing of the power tool mechanism.
Still another loading magazine is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,501, entitled "Loading Magazine", which issued to Larsson on Nov. 16, 1976, the device being intended to hold a plurality of cartridges or shells in a container for subsequent loading into a weapon.
All of the above devices are simply containers for cartridges or shells separate from the firing and ejecting mechanism of the gun, be it revolver, rifle or power tool, and are simply used to dispense one, or a predetermined pattern of a predetermined number of cartridges into the gun.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved magazine for increasing the capacity of a shotgun.